Maame by Jessica George

One of the best things about a long commute, or commuting to work, is the chance to read or listen to an audiobook. It is something I genuinely look forward to. This month, I got to finish Maame by Jessica George, and it was the pause I needed after weeks of reading industry-focused and non-fiction texts.

Maame is a work of fiction, but it feels deeply relatable. Jessica George tells a unique story about Maddie, a young British-Ghanaian woman navigating life, grief, work, family and cultural expectations, and the quiet loneliness that comes from always being the strong one in the family.

Maddie’s story is powerful in how clearly it speaks to the experiences of many first-generation children, women, men, caregivers, and individuals carrying invisible responsibilities.

With a mother who spends much of her time in Ghana and can be somewhat overbearing, Maddie becomes the primary caregiver for her father, who is living with advanced stage Parkinson’s disease. Much of her life revolves around caring for her father, a responsibility she carries quietly, with grace and wisdom, often at the expense of her own needs.

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